A 
federal 
district 
court 

dismissed a lawsuit filed by an 
former University of Michigan 
student 
who 
violated 
the 

University’s 
Student 
Sexual 

Misconduct 
Policy. 
A 
final 

opinion dated Jan. 5 declared the 
plaintiff’s claim of a due process 
violation was inaccurate.

According to court records, 

U.S. 
District 
Judge 
David 

Lawson upheld the reasoning 
behind the appeals board’s 
decision to expel the plaintiff 
because it did not violate his 
underlying due process.

The incident in question 

occurred at a fraternity house 

in January 2016 when the 
victim was a freshman at the 
University. According to the 
version of events presented in 
the case of the former male 
student, indentified as John Doe 
in the claim, the woman was 
served a shot of vodka in the his 
room upstairs after they met 
earlier. After the shot, the pair 
went back downstairs, danced 
and eventually started kissing 
before they went back his room. 
The two then allegedly had sex.

The 
male 
and 
female 

students’ lawsuits differ in 
their description of the event. 
Though the male’s suit said the 
woman had no problem dancing 
or talking, her lawsuit described 
a witness who said she later 

The University of Michigan’s 

plans to renovate the Michigan 
Union, which include creating 
easier access to the building 
for 
patrons 
with 
physical 

disabilities, have so far received 
overall positive feedback from 
students.

The 98-year-old Union — a 

haven of student offices, dining 
areas and large rooms for 
meetings, traditionally regarded 
as a centerpoint of campus — 
will be under construction as 
part of a large infrastructural 
renovation in the spring of 2018. 
An $85.2 million budget will 
go toward improving student 
study and lounge space in the 
building, as well as historical 
restoration.

The plan was approved by 

the Board of Regents on July 
21, 2016 at its monthly meeting, 
a vote which approved the 
building’s 
most 
extensive 

renovations since its opening. 
The budget for the project 
comes from the $65 University 
Unions and Recreational Sports 
Facility Improvement Fee that 
all full time students started 
paying in 2014.

Susan Pile, senior director of 

University Unions and Auxiliary 
Services, said as of now there is 
no intention of increasing this 
fee due to additional funding 
from the University.

“That fee is set by the Board 

of Regents,” Pile said. “There is 

also funding coming from some 
other University sources such 
as Parking and Transportation 
and others to help shoulder the 
cost of the renovations but all 
that funding, all those funding 
sources are set at this point.”

LSA freshman Cindy Chu 

said she does not have a problem 
with the fee as it stands but 
expressed concern for lower-
income students having to pay 
the fee.

“Relatively, $65 isn’t much 

so right now; I don’t see too 

much of an issue but if you’re 
one of those students struggling 
to make ends meet, then of 
course it’s more difficult to 
them,” Chu said. “I feel like 
some people should be exempt 
from (the fee) if they’re under 
financial strain.”

The largest issue with the 

Union right now, according to 
Pile, is the lack of comprehensive 
compliance with the Americans 
with Disabilities Act of 1990, 
which mandates that buildings 
not discriminate against people 

with disabilities and provide 
equal opportunities for access 
and travel through the building. 
Issues such as ramp access and 
elevators that reach all levels of 
the building are scheduled to be 
improved in the renovations.

Currently, the main levels 

and the mezzanine levels of 
the Union are not connected by 
one main passenger elevator, 
making 
travel 
between 

floors difficult for those with 

About 50 students gathered 

Tuesday night inside the Ford 
School of Public Policy, where 
they ate pizza and chatted as a 
part of the “Pizza and President 
Obama’s Farewell Address” watch 
party organized by the University 
of Michigan’s chapter of College 
Democrats.

Though students in attendance 

said they were disappointed by 
the outcome of the 2016 election, 
many pointed to the importance 
of continuing to band together 
as a party. Public Policy junior 
Rowan Conybeare, explained the 
importance of continuing to fight 
for progressive ideals, even though 
the election results did not occur 
as she had hoped.

“(I) 
worked 
on 
Hillary’s 

campaign so we obviously thought 
tonight would be a little bit more 
exciting,” Conybeare said prior 
to the speech. “But I think (in 
Obama’s speech tonight) that 
he will create this picture again 
of hope for the future, and just 
that even though we didn’t get 
the presidential outcome that we 
want, we can still fight and we can 

michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Wednesday, January 11, 2017

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INDEX
Vol. CXXVII, No. 6
©2016 The Michigan Daily

N E WS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

O PI N I O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

CL A S S I F I E DS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

S U D O K U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

See ASSAULT, Page 3A

ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily

BAMN member Keysha Wall addresses the Central Student Government at a meeting in the Union on Tuesday.

A resolution asking President 

Barack 
Obama 
to 
support 

undocumented 
students 
— 

brought to the table by BAMN, 
the national coalition to Defend 

Affirmative Action, Integration 
and 
Immigrant 
Rights 
and 

Fight for Equality By Any 
Means Necessary — passed at 
Central Student Government’s 
first meeting of the semester. 
The body voted 26-4 with 7 
abstaining.

Last December, CSG passed 

a similar resolution — authored 

by 
CSG 
President 
David 

Schafer, CSG Vice President 
Micah Griggs and Chief of 
Staff Noah Betman, all LSA 
seniors. The resolution was a 
joint-statement by members of 
CSG expressing solidarity for 
undocumented 
students 
and 

need for a continuation of the 
Deferred Action for Childhood 

Arrival program, which allows 
undocumented immigrants to 
“apply for temporary deferrals 
of deportations and (for) work 
permits.”

Currently, according to a 

New York Times article cited by 
Shafer in his resolution, about 
741,000 individuals protected 

See WATCH PARTY, Page 3A

ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily

Students walk through the Union on Tuesday. 

michigandaily.com

For more stories and coverage, visit

See UNION, Page 3A

See CSG, Page 3A

Companies in Ann Arbor 

looking to increase foot traffic 
and sales can now advertise in 
nearby locations, serving the 
local small business community 
and college students looking for 
discounts. 

Spade, a mobile application 

launched in early December, 
aims 
to 
help 
local 
small 

businesses advertise for one 
another.

Spade serves as the middleman 

between businesses looking to 
advertise and locations looking to 
profit, according to Kinesiology 
sophomore Jake Fleshner, the 
company’s co-founder and chief 
marketing officer.

Fleshner’s older brother came 

up with the idea three years 
ago and developed it for about 
a year before handing it off to 
Fleshner, who saw the app as an 
opportunity to create a network 
of businesses.

“We thought ‘Why is no one 

doing this yet?’ ” Fleshner said. 
“Why aren’t businesses helping 
each other, cross-remoting and 
helping the local small business 

See BUSINESS, Page 3A

Federal court 
dismisses case 
filed by student 
after alleged 
sexual assault

CSG passes resolution to call on White 
House to aid DAPA, express solidarity

CRIME

U.S. district judge declares the claim of a 
due process violation inaccurate

At first meeting of the semester, BAMN expresses concern for undocumented students

RHEA CHEETI & HEATHER 

COLLEY

Daily Staff Reporters

50 students 
gather, view
last speech
by POTUS

GOVERNMENT

College Democrats, 
others admiring screened 
remarks in Ford School

KAELA THEUT
Daily Staff Reporter

$85 million renovations for Michigan 
Union supported, despite tuition fee

Increased accomodation of patrons with physical diabilities head construction plans

MATT HARMON
Daily Staff Reporter

Start-up 
offers local 
business’ 
networks

BUSINESS

Student-created app 
aims to connect, improve 
community advertising

JENNIFER MEER
Daily Staff Reporter

KAELA THEUT
Daily Staff Reporter

statement

THE MICHIGAN DAILY | JANUARY 11TH, 2016